Delivery drones are increasingly being used worldwide to deliver merchandise to the customers. This is mainly due to the increase in the on-line purchases of products. However, there exist many problems that threaten the efficiencies as well as the operability of the conventional delivery drones: safety, range, harsh weather, and accidents.
The first problem is the safety of the surrounding areas where conventional drones drop off the packages. Conventional drones are driven by tri-copters, quadcopters, or octocopters which have propellers located on top of the drone main bodies and extending broadly outward. The motors in these drones are defined by the KV ratings. The KV ratings are related to RPM (round per minute) by the following formula: RPM=KV*volts. Thus, the lesser the KV rating, the more propeller size that gives more stability and more efficiency. A wide variety of motors are used in conventional drones, ranging from 40 KV to 1900 K V. Larger blades, over eight inches, are paired with motors that have low KV ratings and can be used to carry heavier payloads. Propellers are normally made of carbon fiber, plastic, and glass. Drone motors have a speed range of 10,000-40,000 rpm. The top speed of the propeller tip depends on the propeller diameter. For example, a propeller with a 9.4-in diameter and a motor with 25,000 rpm leads to a propeller tip speed of about 700 mph. At this speed, even with propeller guards, drones can fatally hurt the people, cause fatal collision with commercial/military aircrafts, or damage properties. Indeed, the number of drone-mediated threats has been increasing since 2017. The rapid growth of hobbyist and commercial drones also increases the risks of accidents. In June 2017, 1,600 PG&E customers in Mountain View, Calif., lost power after a drone crashed into a high-voltage wire. In September 2017, a civilian-operated drone hit a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter flying near Staten Island. In addition, delivery drones with large propellers cannot navigate in narrow alleys in compact condominium.
The second problem with conventional delivery drones is the weather. When it is hot, the air density drops, reducing dramatically the lifting capacity of the propellers of the conventional drones. When the weather turns really cold, energy capacity drops significantly. In addition, drones will be dangerous in the snow, fog, and rain. Particularly when lightening occurs. High and gusting winds are also problematic. Conventional drones need to handle a wide spectrum of weather conditions. Otherwise, they are not dependable. Conventional weather resistant drones such as the Matrix 200 drone series (DJI's M200 series) with Zenmuse X4S, X5S, and Z30, etc. gimbal cameras; water proof drones such as QuadH2O's HEXH2O Pro V2 require waterproof and buoyancy aids. These commercial weather resistant drones often require redundancy batteries, advanced propulsion system, state-of-the art flight controller, and built-in Wi-Fi chip which provides with all-time connection regardless of the weather. However, these conventional weather resistant drones mentioned above are reconnaissance and observation drones which are controlled remotely by operators using software applications. These drones cannot fly by themselves without being guided by operators.
The third problem with conventional drones is the drone's range. The weight and size, aerodynamic, of the product being delivered will have a huge adverse impact on the drone's range. Drone's operators must consider these issues before sending the drones off for delivery. A headwind will cut into a drone's range dramatically, not to mention wind that exceeds the drone's top air speed. Furthermore, when the payloads include foods such as soups, noodles with broths, the headwind may cause the delivery drones to flip, spilling the soups and broths. Amazon's Prime Air, an octocopter, can only deliver a five pound package in a 30-minute flight. Burrito Bomber is a drone that has to be launched by hand like a kite. DomiCopter are silent regarding the range of pizza deliveries.
The fourth problem with conventional delivery drones is obstacles along the way. When making deliveries in cosmopolitan cities like New York, Ho Chi Minh City, power lines, narrow passage ways, and/or unwanted obstacles can destroy the delivery drones. Fatal accidents to properties and people can happen in the vicinity of the flight path of the conventional drones. This is especially true with commercial drones having large and powerful propeller blades. Currently, drones with collision avoidance sensors are only toy drones whose only functions are entertaining and photographing (fly-cams) in open fields. These toy drones cannot fly beyond the operators' vision range.
Finally, conventional drones do not have a carefully and optimally charted flight course. Thus, they are prone to collide with powerlines, military and commercial aircrafts, and unwanted obstacles even with a simple pilot errors. GPS Waypoints can guide drones to deliver parcels without the need of a pilot. However, GPS waypoints do not take into considerations of safe altitudes and other objects along the drone's flight path. Waypoints can only help drones to fly in a straight line from point A to point B without knowing other objects such as powerlines, buildings, and trees along the line. Furthermore, these conventional drones cannot make convenient delivery to customers who live in high-rise apartments and/or condominiums. This is especially inconvenient for incapacitated customers who have limited mobility.
Therefore what is needed is a delivery drones and a delivery system that can overcome the above described problems.